Training Update – Week 35 – 3 Weeks To Go!

Nice to have a recovery week. Time to recover from a big block of volume in the last two weeks, as well as to allow the body to ‘super-compensate’ and build on the hard work done.

So in a recovery week I normally drop down to about 8-9 hours of volume, yet maintain the intensity. At this part of the training plan, I am actually increasing the intensity. The ‘bread & butter’ workouts start to ramp up with 5 x 8-minutes at 92% continuing, and I added in 2 x (5 x 1-minute) at race pace and some Tabata* intervals on Saturday to compliment the 2 x 8-minute ‘warm-up’.

Finished the week with a nice long 90-minute Z2 ergo, whilst watching the first National Regatta take place in a wet and windy Luzern.

Feeling good about entering the third last week before the main event. The entire squad has taken a jump forward in speed. I attribute a lot of this to the ‘lock-down effect’ of more aerobic base work, along with the time to really focus in on the small technical details. The work with the biomechanics, using the video for coaching review and self coaching review, has made a big difference. I noticed this in the practice starts. The squad is way more consistent, in the start sequence. Each of them are moving the boat forward with intent, and transitioning well into race pace. Great to see.

Looking forward to this week, and slotting the training in and around work.

*These intervals are named after the Japanese exercise physiologist Izumi Tabata.